Wagon-brake



(No' Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. N. E. THOMPSON.

WAGON BRAKE. No. 427,529. Patented May 6, 1890.

Illllllllllll ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT FEicE.

NOBLE E. THOMPSON, OF NE\V MAYVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

WAGON-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,529, dated May 6, 1890.

Application filed October 28, 1889. Serial No. 328,457- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NOBLE E. THOMPSON, of New Mayville,in the county of Clarion and State of Pennsylvania, have invented 'a new and useful Improvement in NVagon-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in wagon-brakes, and has for its object to provide a brake wherein the applied draft will automatically remove the brake-shoes from the wheels as the wagon is drawn forward, and, further wherein when descending an 1111- even surface the action of the horses in holding back will apply the brake shoes to the wheels, and, finally, when the wagon is backed the reverse movement of the wheels will throw the brake-shoes out of contact therewith,

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a vehicle having my improved brake applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the vehicle. Fig. Sis a bottom plan View of the tongue. Fig. L is a central vertical section through the end of the tongue, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the extremity of the tongue.

In carrying out the invention the reach is such as is usually employed in connection with an ordinary four-wheeled wagon and connected with front and rear hounds 11 and 12, which hounds are respectively-secured to the forward and rear axles 18 and 14. Transversely of the rear hounds, asuitable distance to the front, across-bar 15 is secured, from the ends of which bar, by means of links 16, a brake-beam 17 is suspended, the said brakebeam being provided with the usual brakeshoes 18, adapted to engage the periphery of the rear wheels, and upon the brake-beam, at a suitable point at each side of the center, metal sleeves 19 are attached. At each side of the reach hangers 20 are secured to the under side of the rear hounds, adapted to constitute bearings for a rock-shaft 2 1, provided outside of its bearings, at the extremities, with cam projections 22, which cams in operation are designed to engage the sleeves 19 upon the brake-beam. The rock-shaft may be and preferably is provided with a central hanger 23, projected from the under side of the reach. An arm 24, integral with the rock-shaft 21, projects upward above the reach-bar between the same and one section of the rear hounds, which arm is pivotally connected with a lever 25, pivoted in the reach near the forward bolster. This connection is made by means of a sectional adjustable rod 26, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The lever is preferably slightly curved, and is pivoted near the lower end to the reach. Upon the said lower extremity a pin 27 is formed, extendinghorizontally at a right angle to the body of the lever, practically outward beyond one side edge of the reach, as best shown in Fig. 1. An angled or essen tially V-shaped bar 28 is rigidly secured to the said pin, having swiveled upon the extremity of the forward member a shackle 29, adapted to receive one end of a pitman 30, which pitman is carried upward beneath the tongue at the inner end of the latter, the said.

pitman being pivotally united with a bar 31, held to slide beneath and parallel with the tongue.

The tongue is preferably provided with a groove to accommodate the bar 31, which bar, as it actuates the brake, I, for convenience, denominate the sliding brake-bar.

A spud or sprag is hinged bya'staple or equivalent device at or near the lower extremity of the rear member of the angle-bar 28, as illustrated in Fig.2, and ahook 33 is secured to the under face of the reach to receive the said spud or sprag when not in use, as illustrated in dotted lines in the said Fig. 2.

The sliding brake-rod 31 extends practically to the extremity of the tongue, and the outer extremity of the saidbrake-har is bent downward upon itself and upward, forming a bow portion 34, as shown in Fig. 4, and the extremity of the said brake-bar is made to terminate in ayolre 35, spanning the lower portion of the tonguencar the outer extremity of it, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

A slight distance from the extremity of the tongue a vertical slot is produced, through which the vertical member of an elbow or anhave been applied.

gle rod 36 projects, the horizontal member of which rod extends in the groove of the tongue at the extremity and is provided upon the under-face with a series of notches or teeth 37. This angle-bar is adapted to act in the capacity of a latch and is purposed to lock the sliding brake-bar when the brake-shoes the rack or tooth surface of the latch-rod 36 is held close to the under face of the tongue, or slightly above the yoke of the brake-bar, through themedium of a coil or spiral spring 38, surrounding the vertical member and bearing against the inner end of a housing 39, attached to the upperface of the tongue, as shown in Fig. 4, which housing consists of a plate or sheet of metal attached only at the outer end to the outer extremity of the tongue. As the vertical member of the latchrod 36 contacts with the inner end of thehousing when the said housing is depressed by the neck-yoke, as the horses back, the inner end of the latch-rod is also depressed and the teeth or notches therein are caused to engage with the yoke of the sliding brake-bar. In order that the said brake-bar may be carried back prior to or about the same time that the housing is depressed by the neck-yoke, a recess 40 is formed in the body-section of the brake-bar beneath the yoke to receive the ring ordinarily used in connection with a neck-yoke.

In a pitman 30 a grooved pulley 41 is journaled, over which pulley a chain 42 is made to pass, the ends of which chain are respectively attached to the center of the whiffletrees 43, located one at each side of the tongue, as illustrated in Fig. 1. IV hen the brake-rod is carried to the rear to apply the brakeshoes, the chain 42 is sufficiently relaxed to permit the pitman to act upon the lever 25, and when the horses start ahead to remove the brake and draw the vehicle the said chain acts in the capacity of an evener.

In operation, when the horses are going down an inclined plane and hold back by means of the neck-yoke, they carry back the sliding brake-bar 31, which acts upon the lever 25, and the said lever, acting upon the rock-shaft 21, throws the cams 22 against the sleeves 19 of the brake-bar, pressing the same rearward until the shoes tightly clamp the wheel. At the same time the neck-yoke, travelingfrom over the hood 39, presses downward the latch-rod 36, and causes the said latch to bind against the outer ends of the sliding brake-rod,whereby the brake-shoes are held in contact with the wheel without strain upon the team. As soon as the horses advance, the neck-yoke, sliding from off the hood 39, suffers the latch-rod 36 to assume its normal position, whereupon the sliding brake-rod is free to move forward, being aided by the neckyoko ring secured thereto, and thus the brake is at the same time removed from the wheel. hen the team is backed, the brakes are, as aforesaid, applied. hen the wagon is backed To this end, normally,

also, the reverse movement of the wheels throws the brake-bar upward out of the way, the link-connection 16 admitting of this action. angle-bar 38 causes the sprag 32 to be drawn from the hooks 33, thereupon falling to the ground and contacting therewith, as shown in positive lines in Fi g. 2. Should the whiffletree break or the team stop,the said sprag acts as a brake and prevents the vehicle from traveling downhill. This is an important feature whenthe team is driven up a slippery hill. WVhen the vehicle is carried ahead, the sprag takes care of itself and is dragged alon the ground. Upon level ground if anything should break, the sprag will serve also as a brake.

The sprag is hinged upon the V-shaped bar 28 in the manner illustrated, in order that it may be raised automatically from the ground when the team is backed, as in backing the forward member of said V-bar pressed down and the rear member simultaneously elevated, which movement serves to carry the sprag upward from the ground. \Vhen the vehicle moves forward on level ground or in ascending a grade, the draft upon the V-bar causes the position to be reversed, forcing the sprag in contact with the ground.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a wagon-brake, the combination, with the running-gear and a beam suspended from the same by a link-connection and provided with metal sleeves at each side of the center, of a transverse rock-shaft parallel with and in front of the reach-bar, provided wit-h cam projections adapted to engage said sleeves, a sliding bar held beneath the tongue, and connections, substantially as shown and de scribed, between the sliding bar and the rockshaft, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a wagon-brake, the combination, with running-gear, a brake-beam suspended transversely from the same by a yielding connection and provided with metal sleeves at each side of the center, and a transverse rock-shaft suspended from the running-gear in front of the brake-bar, provided with cam projections adapted to engage the said sleeves, of alever pivoted in the reach of the running-gear, an adjustable connection between said lever and the rock-shaft, a bar held to slide beneath the tongue, a springactuated latch secured to the vehicle-tongue capable of contact with the outer extremity of the said bar, and aconnection between the said lever and the sliding brake-barlocated beneath the tongue, all combined for operation substantially as shown and described. 1

3. In a wagon-brake, the combination, with running-gear, a brake-beam suspended transversely of the same by a yielding connection and provided with metal sleeves at each side of the center, and a transverse rock-shaft sus In ascending a hill the strain upon the pended from the running-gear in front of the brake-beam, provided with cam projections adapted to engage said sleeves, of a lever pivoted within the reach of the running-gear, an adjustable connection between the said lever and rock-shaft, a tongue provided with a spring-actuated, notched, angled latch-rod, and a hood contacting with said latch-rod at one extremity, a brake-bar held to slide beneath the tongue, provided with ayoke at the outer extremity, adapted for engagement with thelatch-rod, apitman-connectionbetween the sliding brake-bar and lever, a pulley j ournaled in the said pitman, and a chain passing over said pulley, adapted for attachment at each end of the whiffletrees, all combined for operation substantially as shown and described.

4. In a wagon-brake, the combination, with the running-gear, of brake-beams suspended transversely of the same, a rock-shaft suspended in front of the brake-beams, provided with cam projections adapted to engage the yoke of a harness, of. an angle-bar secured to the brake-lever, a sprag pivoted upon the rear member of the angle-bar, and a swivelconnection between the forward member of the angle-bar, and the sliding tongue-bar, substantially as shown and described.

NOBLE E. THOMPSON. Witnesses:

' \V. E. MILLER,

NOAH CAMPBELL. 

